The movie 'inspires young viewers to be comfortable in their own skin even amid societal expectations'

In the 1938 Walt Disney-produced Ferdinand the Bull, the 7-minute adaptation of Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson's The Story of Ferdinand, the act of the humongous bull smelling flowers despite the protestations of the matador is a hilarious sight. (READ: 10 things to know about 'Ferdinand,' the road movie about a gentle bull)

It emphasizes the stark absurdity of a supposedly violent animal preferring the folly of appreciating nature to the excitement of fulfilling its destiny of competing with a fierce bullfighter. What Disney's cartoon fails to do, however, is to properly introduce the bull as a complete character.

Ferdinand's appreciation for flowers feels more like a punchline than a rallying slogan for diversity.

Quirk and uniqueness

In the climactic scene of the 2017 adaptation of Leaf and Lawson's children's book, we also see the titular bull, cleverly voiced by wrestler-turned-actor John Cena, opting to smell the flowers than to fight his human nemesis.

But the emotional impact is far greater or at the very least less reliant on the potential humor of the absurdity than in the 1938 version.

ADVENTURE. Ferdinand is accompanied by friends such as Lupe, voiced by Kate McKinnon.